Photos of days gone by

jhb171achill · February 10, 2015

I posted "photos of prototypes" elsewhere; this was probably the more appropriate place. Moderator - I plea the Slow Learner card.

Firstly, on a freezing December day about 1946, the Glenties - Stranorlar train comes in. One of the original (world's first*) diesel railcars heads an ex-Dublin and Blessington tram and an ex-Clogher Valley luggage / guard's van!

( * none o'yer ICRs and 80 class!)

And, a symphony in grey: this trio were pictured outside the paint shop in Inchicore one day about 1935 - eventually, I'll be able to confirm exact dates for all the stuff I'm posting. Can you smell the new grey paint?

In June 1956, the veteran No. 100 was in charge of the Courtmacsherry - Ballinascarthy Jct. goods.

Edited February 10, 2015 by jhb171achill

Garfield · February 11, 2015

Always nice to see pics of MGWR motive power, JB... love the cattle engine!

jhb171achill · February 11, 2015

Absolutely, Garfield. It's a terrible shame a MGW D class or A class weren't preserved - even a J18, to compare it with 186. This might determine whether the Broadstone men or the Inchicore men were right. Each, in my grandfather's time, took the view that the "other" engines were scrap metal, and the DSER - well, it was seen as irrelevant. Little seemed to figure in conversation at Inchicore about the antics of the GNR and Dundalk, though my grandfather paid a number of official visits there, which were reciprocated by GNR men visiting Inchicore.

Mayner · February 11, 2015

Absolutely, Garfield. It's a terrible shame a MGW D class or A class weren't preserved - even a J18, to compare it with 186. This might determine whether the Broadstone men or the Inchicore men were right. Each, in my grandfather's time, took the view that the "other" engines were scrap metal, and the DSER - well, it was seen as irrelevant. Little seemed to figure in conversation at Inchicore about the antics of the GNR and Dundalk, though my grandfather paid a number of official visits there, which were reciprocated by GNR men visiting Inchicore.

The DSER engines seems to have been the exception, the J8 0-6-0s & K2 2-6-0s seem to have been highly rated when GSWR or Midland Section crews operating people could get their hands on them. It would be interesting to see how South Eastern crews rated the GSR built 850 2-6-2T & 670 Class 0-6-2Ts compared with ex-DSER suburban tank locos

Edited February 11, 2015 by Mayner

jhb171achill · February 11, 2015

I seem to remember reading somewhere that locomen in general were happy enough with the 670s, though (like in many a locomotive class) some were deemed better than others.

The 820 class were the thing that never appeared, the "design that got away". Based on the B1a 800 class, they were a fast 4.6.2 tank engine. One can only wonder!

I have no idea what loco men thought of 850...... interesting....

jhb171achill · February 14, 2015

Lisburn, about 1990.

at Downpatrick in 2009.

jhb171achill · February 14, 2015

Castlegregory, summer 1939.

jhb171achill · February 14, 2015

A jaunt on the Lough Swilly, the Cavan & Leitrim and the Giant's Causeway now...

jhb171achill · February 14, 2015

What next..... Interesting rolling stock. The short lived Enniskillen to Belfast express (BUT) railcar service. Carriages in Albert Quay - ancient CBSCR design - look at the patchwork maroon paint! And, with fresher paint, Ballinamore - where freshly painted anything was a rarity.

Now, here's a puzzler - until I find the accompanying notes anyway. At first glance, possibly SLNCR, but I think it was taken somewhere in Dublin. If so, the lack of a letter suffix to the number suggests GSWR ancestry, but neither the GSWR or GSR put "No." in front of a number.

Thoughts?

Mayner · February 14, 2015

Seemingly as a final fling the GNR operated a fast Belfast-Omagh-Enniskillen service with a single BUT railcar for a few weeks before the Irish-North closed in September 1957.

The Enniskillen railcar operated as part of a fast Belfast-Derry service splitting at Omagh.

The railcar used to haul a classical GNR Clerestory Brake Composite between Omagh & Enniskillen. The 701 Class railcars were Second Class only without a luggage compartment or van.

No. 19 is a MGWR goods brake dating from the 1870s complete with wooden bake blocks, the vans were painted green rather than the usual MGWR dark grey or black.

The photo of the C&L carriages was taken before the GSR removed the Balliamore carriage shed to save money on the rates and the carriages started to fall apart from the lack of shelter and a decent coat of paint

Edited February 14, 2015 by Mayner

jhb171achill · February 14, 2015

The van picture was taken in the mid 1930s, thus that van is still, therefore, carrying green paint because that certainly isn't GSR style lettering. Very interesting indeed, well spotted Mayner.

The picture of the West Cork coaches is a bit later, probably about 1938.

The GNR coach you refer to which was trailed around by that railcar was the last surviving wooden GNR bogie coach other than Saloon No. 50 at Whitehead. It lay at Mallow for years and eventually fell apart, with some assistance from vandals.

jhb171achill · February 15, 2015

Not all locos had numerals picked out in pale yellow - quite a few were just sheep-dip grey all over. Note for modellers: numberplate backgrounds were always grey on grey locos, black on the few black locos in late CIE days. GSR never painted anything black.

DNGR station - I think this was taken at Greenore.

With the growing interest these days in "yellow machines", because - I suppose - there's not a lot else to see on the railways! - I thought this little gem might interest you. One at least survived well into CIE times, possibly the early 1960s. It still had its faded maroon with yellow lining. A potentially very interesting little project for a layout.

Edited February 15, 2015 by jhb171achill

jhb171achill · February 16, 2015

The NCC picture dates from the early 1940s and the Inchicore one late 30s.

This transfer appears to be of late DUTC origin.

minister_for_hardship · February 16, 2015

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17464[/ATTACH]
Castlegregory, summer 1939.

One of the holy grails of Irish memorabilia. I believe a Dublin based driver who has long since gone to his reward got one of these many years ago.

Most (but not all) of his stuff ended up in a skip after his passing away. His family had little interest in what they thought of as scrap metal.

jhb171achill · February 16, 2015

I found one way out on the T & D in the early 70s. I kept it a few years, then sold it. I wish I'd kept it!

jhb171achill · February 17, 2015

Waterside, Derry, about 1975.

York Road, April 1985. Note that the GM maker's plate on the cabside has obviously been only very recently hacked off!

Lisburn, with GVS to Enniskillen train, about 1939.

Claremorris, 14th June 1971..... hold on..... I don't think my bookcase was in Mayo then...

One can dream.

Edited February 17, 2015 by jhb171achill

jhb171achill · February 20, 2015

And we're off to Castlegregory again, and it's summer 1939.

Mayner · February 21, 2015

And we're off to Castlegregory again, and it's summer 1939.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17640[/ATTACH]

Very few published photos of Castlegregory JHB very rare.

jhb171achill · February 21, 2015

I've one or two more somewhere, Mayner. Will post when I can. This was taken two days before the line closed. Apparently there was a respectable number of people on the Dingle train that day, but not too many on the branch. The branch train was hauled by No. 6 as you can see, and consisted of a single coach, a bogie van and a couple of goods vans.

The loco shed was out of the picture on the left, way down behind the carriage you can just see the end of. There was a turntable there too. The loco has just turned and had a drink and is running round. The two sidings either side of the goods shed were the only other sidings or track in the place. A very small compact station which would therefore make an ideal prototype even for quite a large scale layout.

There was no signal box - just the ground frame on the left.

jhb171achill · February 21, 2015

The Giant's Causeway tram in the mid thirties. Here a three coach train awaits departure at Portrush.

Meanwhile, at Ballinamore, we see this very rare phenomenon in the thirties; a locomotive not in plain grey! C & L No. 1 remained in lined green even at this stage. The Cavan & Leitrim painted engines a shade of green not unlike vie green, and lining was red and white. In this example the C & L livery is by thus stage understandably very dishevelled, as it's well over ten years since a paintbrush was seen near the locomotive.

jhb171achill · February 21, 2015

Who'd like to help me fund a new-build for the DCDR!

This is a little beauty, which would be ideal for such things; well, one must dream. The straight sides are a giveaway to its Belfast & Northern Counties Rly. origin. Pictured at Ballyclare, Co. Antrim about 1942, it was already withdrawn. Note the boarded up window and very badly faded paintwork.

Meanwhile, up in Donegal hi

jhb171achill · February 22, 2015

Anyone out there able to help?

I've been going through a pile of old black and white negatives, many of poor initial quality, not helped by years of fading or over and under exposure when originally taken. They'd need to have a good bit of time taken over each one, photoshopping, enhancing, and so on, but the subject matter of many is amazing - there's a full set, for example, of pics taken at Inchicore about 1922 of a loco which had been blown up on the DSER, lost its cab and centre pair of wheels, and is sitting awaiting what must have been a very optimistically planned repair. Other odds and ends too - one of Dingle in 1939, from memory.... you just never know what's going to turn up.

Now - I'm trying to go through all this stuff and properly list / archive / catalogue it, so I'd need (if possible) some facility to get it all done reasonably quickly. Naturally, I'm prepared to pay whatever costs arise - though on enquiring in Dublin city centre about processing old b'n'w stuff, commercial pricesd are horrendous.

If anyone has any ideas, maybe you might ping me privately. Greater Dublin area preferred, though I'm in Belfast area for a day or so every few weeks as well.

The

jhb171achill · February 22, 2015

Awaiting weathering for NIR's layout, back in 1986.

And, just out of the Murphy Models box.... it's 1985 now.

Further back we go in time, down de Reel Capital Boyo, in de rebel city in 1975.....

jhb171achill · February 22, 2015

To paraphrase the great Homer Simpson, "Ahhhhhhhhh! Guinness....."

Clonmel, 1975.

The same year, a visit to the fledgling CDR preservation project in the old CDR terminus at Victoria Road in Derry. What is it about that city and ill-fated attempts to preserve its most iconic railway?

jhb171achill · February 22, 2015

Great Victoria Street should never have been closed. Belfast Central was, and remains, about as central to Belfast as the Westport Pier siding was. Here, in early 76, a view from a train approaching the old GVS station. On the right is the new track to Belfast Uncentral, which within days will be connected and the old line severed.